


My Life

by velocitygrass



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Future Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-11-03
Updated: 2008-11-03
Packaged: 2018-05-02 06:12:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5237414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/velocitygrass/pseuds/velocitygrass
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Right. Rodney McKay, author of the New York Times Bestseller 'Fictional Science and Why it's Wrong, Wrong, Wrong—but Still Fun', will be signing from two to five. Please leave your kids at home," John said with a smirk.</p>
            </blockquote>





	My Life

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Cyanne](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cyanne/gifts).



> Many thanks to neevebrody for the beta! Posted for McSheplets challenge #31: future

"What's up?" John asked from his desk.

Rodney set the laptop down, taking a seat opposite John. "I'm waiting for the databurst. I'm expecting a schedule proposal for the signings and interviews," he said airily.

"Right. Rodney McKay, author of the New York Times Bestseller 'Fictional Science and Why it's Wrong, Wrong, Wrong—but Still Fun', will be signing from two to five. Please leave your kids at home," John said with a smirk.

"It says ' _Doctor_ Rodney McKay'," Rodney corrected him.

"And I'm sure that's how you'll sign every single copy."

"You're just jealous."

John snorted. "Of _what_? This is half _my_ book. 'But still fun', that's _me_. I can't wait to see if you even _thank_ me from stopping you every time you drifted from interesting fact into boring self-adulation."

Rodney looked away, ostensibly to check something on his computer.

John grinned. "Of course, I _will_ have you sign a copy for me. I'll even stand in the no doubt _very_ long lines."

"Oh, shut up," Rodney said annoyed. Then his face lit up. "Here we go." He quickly sorted the files as they decompressed. "Boring. Boring. Stupid. Who cares. Hmmm. You've got to be kidding me. Later. Oh, nice. Yeah, right. Boring. That one's for you, I think. Boring. Huh? Later. Ah, here it is."

Rodney skimmed the file, smile widening. "Interviews for print, radio, and TV _and_ let me quote 'too many requests for signings to accommodate them all'."

"So, we're gonna go cross country?"

"East and West Coast mostly." Rodney looked carefully at John. "You don't _have_ to come along."

"I haven't taken leave in forever. Plus, you know you'll go crazy on the trail. I can't wait to watch some ten-year-old argue with you."

"So you'll just be there to watch me suffer?"

"Yes, pretty much," John said, smiling happily. " _And_ I'll be there when you feel the need to complain about your fans. I can't promise I'll listen, but I'll be there."

"How generous of you," Rodney said distractedly, attention turned back to his laptop. A frown formed on his face. Then his eyes widened.

John sat up straight. "Everything all right?"

"Yeah, I just..." Rodney kept reading, the frown getting more pronounced and the corner of his mouth turning downward.

"Rodney?" John asked, getting up from his chair and walking around the desk. "What happened?"

Rodney just stared at the screen for a moment, eyes unmoving, before turning to John in blank shock.

"Is Jeannie—" John began, but Rodney interrupted him, snapping out of it.

"No. She's fine. It's nothing like that."

"Then what?" John asked, leaning a bit closer.

Rodney looked away for a moment to collect his thoughts. Eventually he turned back to John. "Do you ever get the feeling that life is trying to tell you something?"

John moved his head non-committally.

"Do you like weddings?" Rodney asked suddenly. John frowned. "Because we could go to one," Rodney continued. "Or two or _three_."

Understanding dawned on John's face.

Rodney looked at the screen. "First there's my ex-girlfriend, nearly fiancée. Dr. Katie Brown and Dr. Simon why-would-I-care announce their wedding on May 10th, 2014. Then there's my ex-fiancée. Sandra Leighton and Michael 'I want a big family' Biggs cordially invite you... and so forth. And last but not least, my ex-wife. Jennifer Keller, Patrick Stevens, and Mary Keller would love to welcome you to the occasion of their wedding... There's some poetry. And a picture."

John looked sympathetic. "I didn't know you still had contact with Katie."

"I don't. Jeannie sent that clipping. We could still go and _crash_ the wedding," Rodney said miserably.

"But, Jennifer, I mean that isn't really a surprise, is it?" John tried. "After they had Mary—"

"I _know_ ," Rodney stopped him. "I knew this was going to happen. I just... I just thought it might happen to me too some day."

"It did," John said.

Rodney glared at him.

"It still can," John said.

"Oh, please."

"It _can_ ," John insisted.

"Right, because with every passing year my receding hairline becomes more attractive."

"Looks aren't everything. You always say that your brain—"

"Stop it, okay?" Rodney said, shaking his head.

"Rodney," John said, taking a step towards him.

"No, you don't— This isn't just about _this_ ," Rodney said, gesturing at his laptop.

"Then what?" John asked.

Rodney looked away for a moment, looking miserable. Then he looked at John. "Come with me," he said and left without waiting for John.

~~

In Rodney's room Rodney went to his nightstand, took out a book, and shoved it at John.

John's eyes widened. "But that's— Why did you tell me they didn't send any copies?"

"Read!" Rodney said impatiently.

John opened the book and turned the first page until he saw it. _Dedicated to John Sheppard for being my life._

John looked up.

"The 'in' must have gotten lost," Rodney said evasively. "I'm not sure if it was them or me and when I saw it, I thought, 'Well, it's not really wrong.' So I just... But now I realize that it's not just 'not wrong', it's true. This is it," he said miserably. "I'll die and all I'll have to show for in my life is _you_."

John's jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed.

"And that wouldn't even be bad," Rodney said hastily. "I simply figured growing old with the love of my fucking life would somehow involve sex."

The tension melted away from John's face and body.

Rodney's eyes widened.

"What?" John asked.

Rodney looked panicked. "Generally speaking. Love should involve sex. That's what I—"

"Rodney," John interrupted him.

"Just forget it," Rodney quickly said, looking away.

John waited until he turned his gaze to John again before asking, "The love of your fucking life?"

"I didn't mean..."

John took the few steps to Rodney and watched him. "Rodney." It was barely more than a whisper.

Rodney looked away.

"That's too bad," John said. "Because _you_ are the love of _my_ fucking life."

Rodney's head shot up. His mouth opened, but no words came out.

They stared at each other for a long moment and then they were kissing and holding each other. Teeth clashed together in the urgency to make up for lost time and their hands tangled in clothes and each other. When they moved apart to take a breath, Rodney said, "I can't believe this. Ten years and you couldn't have said something?!"

John answered, "Maybe I _would_ have if you'd just stopped getting engaged for a year or two," before pulling Rodney back into a kiss.

They made their way to the bed and managed to discard enough clothing to be skin on skin for their first time. The whole thing was over embarrassingly quickly, but it didn't matter because lying in bed together afterwards was as satisfying as reaching climax.

"Ten years," Rodney said mournfully into John's chest.

John stroked his hair soothingly. "It's actually not quite ten years."

"Close enough. Think of what we've been missing."

"I'd rather think of what we still have ahead of us," John said reasonably.

"Would you ever have said something?" Rodney asked, lifting his head to look at John.

John just watched him seriously for a moment. "I was waiting for you to give me a sign." Rodney seemed to think that over. "What about you?" John asked.

"I was waiting for someone I'd care about as much as I cared about you."

"You didn't want _me_?" John asked, half-curious, half-amused.

"Oh no. I just thought I'd never have you, so I tried _not_ to want you. But I did. Right from the start. God, I could have had you when you were still in your _thirties_."

"Hey," John said, ruffling his hair roughly.

"Not that you're not— You're at least as sexy now as back then. I love the gray hair," Rodney said, punctuating every word with a stroke through said hair in various places of John's body.

"And I love your receding hairline," John said.

Rodney glared at him.

"I do," John said, unable to hide his smile.

"I _hate_ you," Rodney said.

"No, you don't," John said, quickly kissing him on the mouth. "And I have the book to prove it."

"It was an _error_ ," Rodney said irritated.

"Which you _chose_ not to correct. It's a fact. I'm the love of your life."

Rodney's look turned serious. "And I'm yours."

"Yes," John agreed solemnly. Then he grinned. "Receding hairline and all."

Rodney's protest was cut off with a kiss.


End file.
